Our Trash Free Trails Approved Scheme had its first debut at a smaller but passionate affair, full of bikepacking enthusiasts wanting to leave a positive trace on their trails and wild places.
Brother in the Wild 2022 hosted their 6th edition in the Purbeck Hills and adopted the TFT Approved scheme to really bring to life what we'd hoped to achieve through event organisers. Our A-Team ambassadors Sam and Emma joined the event and the powerful spirit of community it's got a reputation for. We caught up with them and Will from Brother Cycles who share some field notes from the experience.
Words by Sam Piper For the last couple of years Emma and myself have been combining our love of mountain biking and wild camping by strapping everything we needed to our full suspension bikes and heading out for a couple of nights in the wild. However, we quickly realised that we didn't really know a great deal about bike packing and how to set up luggage on a bike, so when we were asked if we would like to go to Brother in the Wild 2022 we jumped at the chance!
This was the 6th Brother in the Wild event and its fair to say they have got the art of running a festival down to a T! However, the only difference this year is that they hosted a TFT Approved event. It was clear from the get go that they took this seriously. Will (Brother Cycles) was keen to show us all the work they had put in to this years event to meet the criteria. The catering vans were using 'Vegware' cartons for the high quality food on sale, the bar was also using 'Vegware' pint glasses and the pizza wagon was using recyclable cardboard boxes. Each item had its relevant bin clearly marked up and explained. Will also explained the reasoning behind not putting any bins around the rest of the festival site was to encourage people to consider what they do with their litter. They either need to bring it to the correct bin or take it home. He told us about their future plans to take it one step further, but that will all be revealed next year!
This years event hosted a round of 'campfire chats' from people making an environmental difference, this included a question and answer session with Emma and myself about Trash Free Trails. It was impressive to see how many people took time away from eating and drinking to listen to what was being said. I must admit, it filled me with pride to be part of a community who are ready and willing to make positive change.
We had a great time talking late into the night with vendors and the riders who all had tales of single-use pollution on their trails and how it made them feel. Importantly, what they thought could be done to create positive impact. We left Brother in the Wild feeling like the right conversations are being had and companies like Brother Cycles are physically making a difference. Can't wait to come back again next year!
